Gratitude
by Forever Free Evergreen
Summary: Birthday fic for Greymon Leader Baxt Flashpoint R&R
_Disclaimer & note: Birthday request for Greymon Leader Baxt Flashpoint. Other than that, I don't own White Knight Chronicles just the words below._

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 _ **The Roosting Dragon's tavern,**_

 _ **Pinorska Village**_

* * *

Blue eyes. Dark as a moonless night yet cold as a midwinter's morning.

Even after all these years, Dragon never really understood how those eyes was the first thing he noticed about the man the moment he stepped through the tavern door looking for nothing more than a hot meal and a cot for the night. It never was that unique stave of his, that decorated coat he wore or, strangely enough, his azure locks that stood out even more than his eyes.

The place might be different, but the meeting felt just the same as when their paths crossed the first time…

* * *

 ** _Greydall Plains_**

 ** _(5 years earlier)_**

* * *

Dragon drew his blade and checked it over before sheathing it once again as he stood among the many men and soldiers of Balandor. Just like most of them, he was nervous about the enemy they would soon be facing but also because this would be his first major battle he would be participating in.

As if he was not scared enough already that he might die, there were whispers and rumors going around that the White Knight, a towering warrior who had rescued the Princess Cisna a year earlier, would not be aiding them in the coming battle apparently injured somehow in an earlier skirmish with the enemy's own towering Knight.

Regardless of whether those rumors were true or not. it was enough to demoralise the troops, including Dragon, to the point that they were starting to question whether or not they were going to win this battle.

And that was when he first noticed him. Unlike most of the others milling about waiting for what may seem to be their inevitable death, he was standing off to the side somehow separating himself from the rest of them despite having several soldiers within arms reach.

But that was not the first thing Dragon had noticed about the man. Despite the man's strange garb, unique stave and dark blue hair, what really got Dragon's attention was the man's eyes: blue, dark and cold betraying not a hint of emotion as to what might be passing through his mind about what may soon be happening to him or of those around him.

Before Dragon could ponder more about the man, maybe even go over and ask him as to how he managed to remain calm with all that was happening, his ears picked out the sounds of approaching footsteps heralding the arrival of a commanding officer it seemed given to how everyone was now scrambling about to move out of said person or persons way.

Eventually, Dragon and most of the others spotted a young man hoist himself onto a wain allowing all to see him. If Dragon had thought the man in blue stood out, then this new person easily surpassed him from his flashy vermillion garb to his strange hairstyle and tanned skin. In fact, the only similarity Dragon could see between the two was their emotional states, both seemed detached from the negative tension seeping into everyone else yet this young man seemed more jovial for lack of a better word unlike the stoic man in blue.

"Hey there! Can everyone see me, or at least hear me?" He called out cheerfully as if this were all just one big party to him. "For all of you who don't know me, the name's Caesar: Count of Drisdal, Lord of Greede and Pactmaker of the Dragon Knight."

So this young man was a Knight also. Did this mean that he was here to aid them alongside the White Knight? Dragon and a good many others thought as they stared at the speaker.

"First things first: There's rumours going round that my friend Leonard- the White Knight to all you, I suppose- is out for the count. I...guess you could say that that's partly true- but that's only because the guy doesn't know the meaning of the term 'taking it easy' and preferring to 'burn the candle at both ends' as they say in order to aid you guys in winning this war." Caesar assured them managing to word it so that the sudden rise in morale did not suddenly plummet. "Fortunately for you guys, I'm around to pick up his slack until he's up and rested enough to get back out there with all of you guys and teach those Yshrenian fanatics for invading our lands!"

By now, the soldiers and volunteers were voicing out their approval. Their morale and spirits raised as Caesar continued giving them his speech.

"But don't go thinking you can all slack off knowing that I'll be there to pick up after you. Oh no, no, no- If we're gonna win this, I'm gonna need to see everyone here give it their all!" Caesar encouraged them and Dragon could have sworn he had seen a playful grin flash across the Count's face for the briefest of seconds at that moment. "Those who go above and beyond will-"

Many a soldier laughed when the Count's rallying speech was cut short when a purple haired girl gave the wain a kick in just the right place that caused Caesar to flail his arms about like a windmill for a second until he regained his balance. Watching the two conversed in low voices, Dragon quickly deduced that they were both part of the group that had rescued Princess Cisna last year although the name of the girl completely slipped the warrior's mind.

"Okay, okay. Joking aside, if anyone wants out this'll likely be your last chance- can't say nobody'll blame you but I won't at least." Caesar resumed waiting to see if anyone wished to suddenly walk away. When no one, not even Dragon, moved from where they stood, the Count grinned. "Alrighty then! Let's get out there and show those fanatics whose lands these are and why they're not welcome here!"

The Count's words gained a roar of approval. Everyone it seemed, in Dragon's eyes as he looked around, now had a fire in their eyes that looked near impossible for their enemy to extinguish.

Well, almost everyone Dragon corrected. The stranger in blue looked to have barely moved since he had last noticed him.

* * *

Victory against Yshrenia was quickly the furthest from Dragon's mind the moment the battle commenced.

No matter which way he looked there were corpses of those he had met just hours earlier or bodies being felled by men in black armor or torn apart by explosions and cannonfire. As if that were not bad enough, off in the distance he could see colossal fiends attacking the vermillion colored Knight who was barely able to fend for himself much less lead them to victory like he had jovially claimed before the battle of Greydall Plain commenced.

It was looking to be hopeless in Dragon's eyes even as he took down another black knight attacking him. Part of him wanted nothing more than to run away but could not risk it as no sooner had he taken down one knight another took their place in trying to take his life.

"Look out!"

"Out of the way!"

Looking around wildly trying to see who or what the people were talking about, Dragon froze as he saw the vermillion Knight coming flying through the air to come crashing down just in front of him sending soldiers from both sides flying as it impacted the ground. As the cloud of dust settled, Dragon was quick to see the exhausted form of the Count struggling to get back to his feet.

Seeing the downed and defenceless man about to be struck upon by the enemy, Dragon quickly put himself between Caesar and the Yshrenian assailants swiftly downing all within sword range while several allies quickly took hold of the injured Pactmaker and hauled him off back to the castle to recover.

It was only once downing the fourth assailant and looking up did Dragon lose his will to fight and survive as he stared at one of the seven metre fiends the Count had been fighting previously walking towards him. Dropping his stance as the harbinger of death stomped towards him, Dragon could only wait and watch as the fiend raised its obsidian mace in preparation for smiting him from the face of the realm.

The next second, the fiend was struck full in the face by a bolt of lightning killing it instantly long before it finally crashed to the ground taking out several of its own troops in the process.

Rooted to the spot in shock, it was only after his saviour had walked passed him and took out a trio of black knights with a blast of lightning that Dragon came to his senses and recognise the person as the mysterious man in blue back at the barracks.

Not even sparing Dragon a glance to at least check to see if he was okay, the man, or mage rather after that display of magicks, the man walked off into the heart of the approaching mass of enemy soldiers cutting through their ranks with powerful spells of fire and lightning.

Regaining the use of his limbs and other senses, Dragon tightened the grip he had on his sword and followed after the mage unaware that he was the only one to follow after him while everyone else either held back or retreated from the battlefield.

* * *

 _ **(Present)**_

* * *

Everything after that moment had been like a blur to Dragon. All he could recall was fighting off numerous enemies who were trying to attack the mage as he took out their main artillery line and being surrounded before another Knight wielding a magical bow arrived on the scene causing the enemy forces to retreat in haste after seeing what was happening to their ranks with the arrival of the new Knight.

After that, Dragon had been one of the first to sign up for the assault on Redhorn Isle and had no idea about what had happened to the mage asides that he had signed on also but had been assigned to a different unit and had never seen him again until now.

Speaking of the mage...

"Excuse me!" Dragon called out to the mage when he realised that the man had, while he was reminiscing, finished his meal and was now about to vacate the tavern.

Miraculously, the mage paused just before he reached the door to the tavern and twisted around just enough so that he could see Dragon out of the corner of his eye. The eye contact alone almost had Dragon wishing he had just kept quiet and let the mage go on his way.

"You...might not remember me but, we fought together back on Greydall Plain five years ago." Dragon explained. "I never got to thank you for saving me back then...never thought I'd get the chance as you pretty much disappeared after the war ended."

The seconds crawled by as the mage continued to stare at Dragon causing the warrior to begin to sweat as nerves started to get the better of him. And then, as if nothing had ever happened, the mage looked away and walked off out the door.

The moment the eye contact between them was cut, Dragon let out the breath he was holding. Despite the lack of a verbal response from the mage, Dragon felt somewhat better for finally being able to thank the man who had saved him even if it were unwittingly and reckoned that, even if he did not care what had happened to Dragon, the mage knew that there was at least one person out in the world who would be willing to help him out should the need ever arise.

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 _Review if possible & until next time_

 _Watch this space, peace out & happy birthday Greymon Leader Baxt Flashpoint._


End file.
